Dr. Armstrong on AR-V7 as a Biomarker of Response to Taxane Chemotherapy in mCRPC

Andrew J. Armstrong, MD, professor of medicine, associate professor in pharmacology and cancer biology, and professor in surgery at Duke University School of Medicine and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the potential of AR-V7 as a predictive biomarker of response to taxane chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Men with progressive mCRPC can receive either a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor or taxane chemotherapy in the second-line setting. Many patients do not want to experience the adverse events associated with chemotherapy even though it may be more beneficial to them, says Armstrong. As such, having a biomarker that could predict for response to these treatments could help patients decide between the 2 approaches.

In the study, investigators evaluated AR-V7 as a predictive biomarker of response to taxane chemotherapy. Investigators concluded that AR-V7 is a negative biomarker of response to abiraterone and enzalutamide. Additionally, patients, irrespective of AR-V7 status, benefitted from docetaxel or cabazitaxel in the second- or third-line setting, says Armstrong. Testing for AR-V7 in practice could help patients decide between these approaches; however, the absence of AR-V7 does not confer response to AR inhibitors, concludes Armstrong.